Z4l 




CAPTAIN BRANT AND THE OLD KING, 



THE TRAGEDY OF WYOMING. 



A PAPER READ BEFORE 



THE BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY 



APRIL 1,1889, 



BY 



WM, CLEMENT BRYANT, 




[)()( 



;iss E aA\ 



SMiriisoNi.w iii:i'()sir. 



^C ■ 

CAPTAIN BRANT AND THE OLD KING. 
Tlie Tragedy of Wyoming. 



A PAPER READ BEFORE 



THE BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

APRIL 1, 1889, 



BY 



Wni. CivEivLENX Bryant. 



BUFFALO : 

J. W. CLEMENT, PRINTER, 20I MAIN ST 
1889. 




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>*•/ 



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V 



k\ 



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Captain Brant and The Old King. 



THE TRAGEDY OF WYOMING. 



The fall of Quebec in 1759 ended the long and bloody 
contest between France and Great Britain for the mastery of 
a continent. A moment's reflection will suffice to remind us 
of the momentous issues involved in this struggle between the 
two competing civilizations. An indigenous and barbaric 
people, known as the Iroquois, or Five Nations, the bulk of 
whom dwelt in what is now known as Central and Western New 
York, was an important if not controlling factor in this event- 
ful consummation. In the war afterwards waged by the 
American colonies for independence, though sadly diminished, 
they were sufficiently numerous to form an appreciable ele- 
ment of the forces which Britain hurled against her rebellious 
offspring. Wasted by wars, and overwhelmed by the tidal 
wave of European emigration they have, within less than a 
century, peacefully surrendered an empire to the intruding 
race, and have disappeared from history as they soon will 
from the gaze of men. 

The recorded opinions regarding this historic race are 
mostly idealistic and irreconcilable. "Romans of the West" 
is the eulogistic title bestowed by their earliest observei's on 
this warlike people before they had become enervated and 
corrupted by contact with European civilization ; lhe"lndians 
of Indians" they are termed in the glowing pages of Parkman; 
kindly conservators of peace and the domestic affections, is 
their surprising characterization bv Horatio Hale ; a "gifted 
and progressive race" they were declared to be by Morgan. 
On the other hand, they are portrayed by writers, possessing 
equal opportunities of observation, as monsters of cruelty, 
devoid of all the nobler attributes of humanity. 



4 Captavi Brant and the Old King. 

Models for a sculptured Apollo, the perfection of the 
human form, accompanied by a princely mien, and an unstudied 
w-race of movement may have frequently been seen among the 
lithe and supple braves grouped around gallant King Ilen- 
drick, and the sight of whom kindled the imagination of Sir 
Joshua Re3'nolds ; but the nature of these picturesque youth 
rarely revealed that union of gentleness, love and valor which 
are the essential ingredients of chivalr}-. Heroes they were 
according to their own rude standard suggested by the un- 
tamed animals which formed the emblazonry of their shields; 
exceptions, however, were not wanting, as in the case of 
* Hiawatha, of a lofty magnanimity and an all-embracing 
benevolence. 

Cruel, ruthless and vengeful as we must admit they were, 
when war inflamed their passions, we cannot deny the Iro- 
quois warriors possession of such attributes as loyalty, chas- 
tity, valor, gratitude, hospitality, acumen, an inspiring 
eloquence and an indomitable spirit of independence. They 
jealously emphasized the distinction between allies and vassals 
in their relations to the Dyo-hence-caw,f or People-of-the 
Morning, throughout the period of a long and faithful service 
in which their blood was shed like water. 

There have arisen among this people, within the historic 
period, many remarkable characters; perhaps none more so 
than the personage I am about to introduce to your notice. 



Early in the 18th century, and before the hearts of the 
American colonists were thrilled by the first monitory rumble 
of that great upheaval, which we denominate the American 
revolution, there lay in the fruitful and romantic region 
bordering the foot of Lake Seneca, and within sight of its 
sparkling, unsidlied waters, the most considerable village of 
the Senecas. '1 his village was known to the whites as Old 



*Hiavvallia was the founder of the League nf the Iroquois — a verital)le " law- 
s/iver of tlie stone a<re," and not a mvtholoirical creation ; althoucrh "tLiiiuatiuii has 
invested him with supernatural attributes. J5y birth he was an Onoiwaga, and by 
adoption a Mohawk. In the Mohawk (balect the name is pronounced A-yohn-waht-ha; 
in the Onondaga, Hay-en-v\atha, and in the Seneca, Hay-ya-w an-tah. 

f The Seneca name for the English. 



The Tragedy of \Vyo})n)ig. 5 

Castle or Kanadesaga. It was surrounded by a timbered pali- 
sade and earthen works, constructed under the supervision 
of that astute and vigilant servant of the crown, Sir William 
Johnson. Outlying this forest fastness were thriving 
orchards of apples and peach, and broad fields of golden maize. 
Kanadesaga was peopled, principally, by a clan of Senecas 
whose totem was the turtle, a symbol, in the simple heraldry 
of the Iroquois, of ancient and illustrious origin. The prin- 
cipal and hereditar}- chieftainw ho swayed this rude commun- 
ity, and whose influence was, in truth, potential in the coun- 
cils of the great conlederacy, was known to his people as 
Gui-en-gwa-toh, and in the dialect of the people who lived 
nearer the sea, Sayenqueraghta, or Saka3'engwaraton, which 
signified the " Disappearing Smoke or Mist."* It was this 
chieftain's prerogative to kindle and to extinguish the council 
fire of his nation, and this idea was imbedded in the rocky 
syllables of his Indian name. Among the English he was 
called indifferently. Old King, King of Kanadesaga, the King 
of the Senecas and Old Smoke; again allusion being made to 
his official prerogative. The earl}^ pioneers and explorers 
knew little and cared less about the unwritten constitutions of 
their barbaric neighbors. When, in the course of their deal- 
ings with the natives, they met a sachem, who was the 
spokesman and apparently the venerated head and leader of 
his people, they bestowed upon him a royal title, as in the in- 
stances of King Powhattan, King Philip, King Hendrick and 
others. In the same spirit of extravagant idealization when 
they observed an Indian town fortified by encircling palisades 
and defensive moats, they dignified it with the title of castle, 
as for example Oneida Castle, Onondaga Castle, upper and 
lower Mohawk Castles, the Seneca or Old Castle, etc. The 
title of King was not applicable to any Iroquois ruler or offi- 
cial. The Iroquois recognized no Kingship save that which 
naturally inheres in the born leaders of men, — men whose su- 
perior understanding, imperious will and meritorious achieve- 
ments inexorably commanded popular homage and obedience. 
The government of the confederate Iroquois was strangely 
composite, — an oligarchy wedded to a pure democracy. The 



*Literally, — The-Smoke-has-Disappeared. 



6 Captain Brant and the Old Kin{^. 

Old King, like King Hendrick, — (who, it is worth}^ of remark, 
bore among the Mohawks the same title of Sayenqueraghta), 
— was endowed with the innate, imperial attributes to which I 
have alluded. The servants of the British crown in North 
America apparently encouraged this assumption of royalty on 
the part of the Old King. His family had for generations, 
and while the majority of his nation were inclined to yield to 
the blandishments of the rival French monarchy, remained 
firm in attachment to the British sovereign. In recognition 
of their loyal faith the good Queen Anne bestowed upon the 
Sayenqueraghta of her reign, an ancestor of Old King, a 
coronet, the only instance, it is believed, in the history of the 
aborigines of America. Kings have been crowned and dynas- 
ties established with less color of right than that possessed by 
King Sayenqueraghta. The incident gathers significance 
when we recall the royal jealousy evoked by the marriage of 
Rolf, an English subject, with the Princess Pocahontas in the 
days of King James the First. 

The red men had no biographers oi' annalists, and the 
materials for a biography of the Old King are extremely 
scanty. The white man's records, however, afford us occasional 
glimpses of the plumed warrior in his varied career, — now the 
impassioned orator haranguing a dignified group of blanketed 
sachems ; now with grim visage dealing death blows in the 
thick of battle; now in friendl) conference with men of rank in 
military and civil life; anon, stooping to succor distressed 
captives like the Gilbert family, or welcoming as a son to his 
cabin the weary and famished missionary, Kirkland, and then 
vanishing mysteriously from view as if to justify his quaint 
appellation, The-disappearing-mist. 

Bancroft, speaking of the Senecas at W)-oming, says : 
"Their King, Sayenqueraghta, was both in war and in council 
the foremost man in all the " six nations."* 

Col. vStone remarks, " Old Smoke was the most powerful, 
as he was deemed the wisest sachem of his time. He was the 
principal sachem, or civil chief of the nation, and his word 
was law. When he thought proper to convene a council it was 



Bancroft's History U. S. Vol. V, p. 279. 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 7 

only for the purpose of announcing his intentions, and none 
said nay to his behests. His infallibility was never ques- 
tioned."* 

At an interview held by the Hon. (). H. Marshall with 
the venerable chief Seneca White at his house on the Catta- 
raugus Reservation, in 1864, he informed Mr. Marshall that Old 
Smoke was the most influential man among the Senecas in the 
Revolutionary war, and that lie opposed the Indians taking any part 
in the war. According to the Senecas he was a large, portly 
man of commanding presence. That he was a man of great 
prominence at Kanadesaga as early as 1765, is evidenced from 
his position in the councils then held. His closing speech in 
the council at that time, in defence of Rev. Samuel Kirkland, 
whose life was in imminent danger in consequence of the 
death of his host, was full of convincing argument and was a 
master-piece of eloquence that bore down all opposition and 
elicited a general shout of applause " which made the council 
house ring." f 

But it is in connection with the tragedy of Wyoming that 
I wish to call your attention to the Old King to-night; and 
here let me refresh your memories by giving a condensed and 
brief recital of the salient incidents of the affair as they have 
been accepted by the historian. 



The valley of the Wyoming, in the early summer of 1778, 
presented a scene of peaceful and sylvan beauty. Slope and 
lowland, on either side of the Susquehanna, were dotted with 
clearings and nestling cabins, the abode of contented toil, fru- 
gality and virtue. No notes of strife or discord arose from 
the bosom of the happy valley. Only the plaint of some wild 
bird; the plowboy's careless whistle; the merry laugh and 
shouts of children at play; the ring of the woodman's axe; the 
muffled beating of some thresher's flail, and the rhythmic 
plash and murmur of the winding river, broke the Sabbath 
hush of the embowered settlement. 



* Life and Times of Red Jacket by William L. Stone. 

f Lothrop's Life of Kirkland, Chap. 3, Sp.ark's Am. Biography, Vol. X.XV. 



8 Captain Brant and the Old Kinq;. 

Wyoming would have been the seat of unalloyed happi- 
ness but for two causes. The youth and chivalry of the 
pioneers had, in response to the trumpet-call of duty, left 
their homes and families to the care of aged sires and strip- 
lings, and were fighting the battles of freedom on far away 
fields; and, besides, there was ever an undefinable, shivering 
fear lest at any moment, out of the dark, mysterious forest, 
which begirt the settlement, there might emerge a murder- 
ous horde of their implacable enemies, tory and savage. 

This apprehension was too soon justified when, on the 
second day of July intelligence eame that a body of Tory 
Rangers, a detachment of Sir John Johnson's Royal Greens 
and a large body of Indians, all under the command of the 
redoubtable Col. John Butler, had taken possession of Fort 
Wintermoot, a tory stronghold situated a few miles distant. 
No sooner was the presence of the enemy discovered than the 
scattered male inhabitants, who remained at their homes, hur- 
riedly assembled to the number of four hundred, at a palisaded 
work known as Old Fort Forty. Col. Zebulon Butler, a sol- 
dier of some experience in the French and Indian war, as- 
sumed command of the little band of patriots. A council of 
war was held early on the 3d of July and the desperate alter- 
native of anticipating the enemy's attack by surprise was 
adopted. The plan might have succeeded but for an untoward 
accident which apprised the enemy of his danger. As it 
happened the Americans found their foe in line of battle for 
their reception. Col. Z. Butler commanded the right of the 
Americans, the left was commanded by Col. Dennison, assisted 
by Col. Dorrance. Opposed to the right of the Americans and 
also resting on the bank of the river was Col. John Butler 
with his rangers ; the right of the enemy, resting upon or 
rather extending into a marsh, was composed of Indians and 
tories led by Sayenqueraghta. The field of battle was a par- 
tially cleared plain. 

The action began soon after four o'clock in the afternoon, 
and was for a time kept up on both sides with great spirit. 
The right of the Americans advanced bravely as they fired, and 
the best troops of the enemy were compelled to fall back. At 
this juncture Sayenqueraghta with a swarm of screeching 
warriors uni)erceived outflanked Col. Dennison and suddenly 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 9 

like a dark cloud fell upon his rear. Sorely harassed Col. D. 
ordered his command to fall back which was mistaken by the 
men for an order to retreat. * This misconception was fatal. 
A panic ensued and the Americans fled towards Fort Forty 
pursued by the Indians, who with their tomahawks and spears 
wrought terrific slaughter and committed deeds of wanton 
and revolting cruelty. The few survivors who escaped the 
carnage and succeeded in reaching the fort were soon besieged 
by throngs of excited Indians and tories. Possessing no 
adequate means of defence, and having no expectation or hope 
of succor the patriots yielded to the entreaties of the women 
and children and capitulated, the terms of surrender being 
that the besieged should no longer fight against the crown 
and should yield possession of all provincial stores to the con- 
querors, who in turn promised them immunity from the scalp- 
ing knife and tomahawk, and undisturbed possession of their 
homes and clearings. The Indians, however, could not be 
restrained. No lives were taken after the surrender, but the 
destruction of houses and property was pursued with mer- 
ciless persistency until the vale became a scene of hideous, 
smouldering desolation. Many of the terror-stricken inhab- 
itants sought safety in flight, and many of them fell by the 
wa}', perishing from sickness and hunger.f 



Thus far I have attempted to give a summary of this 
tragic event, as the sober muse of history has recorded it, and 
which is popularly known as the Massacre of Wyoming. 7"he 
enchanting theatre of this exciting drama, — the picturesque 
actors, patriot, tory, royal green and painted savage, and the 
terrible scenes of suffering, upon which the curtain falls. 



\ "More than two-thirds of their numl)er [the patriotic forces] were massacred liy 
the Indians and Tories with every circumstance of savage cruelty, not even the prison- 
ers being spared. Some of the latter were put to death on the evening of the battle, 
Queen Esther, a half-breed Indian woman, to avenge the death of her son, tomahawked 
fourteen with her own hands near a rock which still bears her name." — Appleton's 
Am. Cyclopaedia. Title, Wyoming. Col. Butler's official report agrees with Col. 
Claus' statement that only two white men in his command were killed and that the 
casualties included about a do/cn Indians wounded. The reader cannot liclp contrast- 
ing this result with that of Oriskany where the desperate valor of the colonists slione 
conspicuously. 



lo Captairi Brant and the Old King. 

invoked the scarcely less veracious muse of poesy and inspired 
Campbell's justly admired epic, "Gertrude of W3'oming." 

Who led the Indians at Wyoming? is a minor vexata 
qccstio of history. The earlier writers assigned the doubtful 
honor to Joseph Brant — Thayendanegea. On their authority 
the poet Campbell makes the "Monster Brant" the author of 
the woes and horrors which befell the simple-minded dwellers 
in the valley. Col. Stone, the biographer of/the great 
Mohawk, zealously endeavored to exculpate ifee^ hero by 
showing that Brant was not even present when the tragedy 
occurred, and that the responsibility rested on the shoulders 
of the Old King. 

Apparently the matter was set at rest when in reply to an 
eminent skeptic in the Democratic Review, Caleb Cushing, 
Stone was at the pains of gathering and publishing fresh and 
convincing testimony. Some doubting Thomas, however, in 
the historical field, periodically asserts that Brant xvas the 
master spirit among the fell agencies of mischief at Wyoming. 
Unfortunately for Brant his reputation for humanity could 
better sustain the burden of Wyoming, which he disclaimed, 
than the infamy of Cherry Valley which neither he nor his 
biographer sought to evade. 

If Brant was not the leader, was Col. Stone correct in 
assigning that post to the King of the Senecas? This question 
was discussed more than twenty years ago in the club meet- 
ings of this society. Ketchum in his " History of Buffalo and 
the Senecas " asserted with confidence that the leader could 
not have been the Old King. In this opinion that accom- 
plished and conscientious investigator, Orsamus H. Marshall, 
was inclined to concur. Both were deceived, as was the 
writer, by certain confusing statements in contemporary nar- 
ratives, or documents, which assigned to Old King a weight 
of years and infirmities that would naturally disqualify him 
for the leadership in so arduous a campaign. The paper 
which I shall proceed to read is apparentlv decisive of that 
question. How this document came to light, after slumber- 
ing in an ancient chest for nearlv a century, the following let- 
ter from the late Senator Plumb will explain : 



The Trailed)' of Wyoming. 1 1 

" Niagara, Pro v. Ontario, ) 
Nov. 5, 1886. S 

" Dear Mr. Bryant : 

" Mr. Conovcr, whom I met at Brantford, has sent me 
some of his Indian pamphlets, among- them a paper on the 
King of the Senecas,* whom he names Sayenqueraghta. * * 

Mr. Conover gives the name of Captain PoHard, an Indian, 
who told Col. Stone and Mr. Orlando Allen that he was at 
Wyoming and that the King was the leader of the Indians 
on that occasion, which statement Mr. C, was inclined to 
question. 

You are quoted by Mr. Conover as stating that 'It is 
claimed that young King was then too young to be a leader 
of a war party. I fear it will never be known who that leader 
was.' 

Now I think I can help you solve the doubt, and can 
show very conclusively, that the Old King was not only the 
leader, but the originator of the Wyoming Expedition, and 
also a most active and faithful coadjutor of Brant as an ally 
of the crown. 

"A family fourth in descent from Sir William Johnson, the 
g-reat-grandchildren of Col. Daniel Claus, Deputy Supt. of 
Indian affairs, who married a daughter of Sir William, by his 
wife Catherine Weisenberg, resides here. 

Mr. William Kerby of this place, the accomplished author 
of the Cliien d' Or, and of much other Canadian literature of the 
highest order, informed me that he had discovered in the pos- 
session of this family a valuable collection of revolutionary 
documents: minutes of Indian councils, autograph letters, and 
many interesting memoranda by Col. Daniel Claus. Among 
the papers were all those that were found in the tent of Gen. 
St. Clair after his defeat, apparently in the original hasty 
wrappage, and seeming never to have been opened or ex- 
amined ! 



* " SAYENf^UKRAcnriA, KiNG OK THE Senecas" by Geo. S. Conover, Waterloo, 
N. Y., 1885. In this pamphlet the author, a very able and conscientious investigator, 
has collated all the printed accounts of and references to the OKI King which he could 
discover. 



I 2 Captain Brant and the Old King. 

There were voluminous writings of Col. Daniel Claus, 
and a most valuable essay by his brother-in-law, Col. Guy 
Johnson, on the Six Nation Indians, written at the request and 
for the use of Robertson, the Historian of America, but not 
inserted in his unfinished work. The papers, numbering 
nearly 2,000, were carefully examined and roughly catalogued 
by Mr. Kerby and myself, and at my instance were purchased 
by the Dominion Government and placed in the public 
archives. One of the MSS., in the handwriting of Col. Daniel 
Claus, is headed 'Anecdotes of Capt. Joseph Brant, Niagara, 
Sept. 1778.' The following extracts may serve to elucidate 
the doubt as to the leadership of the Wyoming Expedition. It 
could not have been written with any other idea, or object, 
than that of stating facts then perfectly ivell known to hundreds 
of people who ivoiild be most likely to read the statements of Col. 
Claus if published. 

That they were 7iot published was doubtless owing to 
the lack of opportunity, in part, and perhaps in a greater 
degree, to severe criticism, which they contained, upon the 
course of Col. Butler in failmg to co-operate cordially or 
promptly with Brant. The first extract refers to the battle of 
Oriskany, at which Col. Claus was present, and took a 
prominent and active part. -;r * * * t^ * 

(Then follow certain extracts fi^om the MS., which I am about 
to read.) Mr. Plumb concludes : 

'Tt ma}^ be that vou will think the extracts of sufficient 
value to communicate them to your society, and I shall be 
very glad to have you do so. 1 shall write to Mr. Conover 
that I have sent them to you. 

With kind regards, believe me, yours very faithfully, 

J. B. PLUMB.'''' 



1 



The writer sent to Ottawa and procured a copy of Col. 
Claus' paper entitled "Anecdotes of Captain Joseph Brant," 
together with the other MSS. mentioned by Mr. Plumb. It 
is an authentic document written by a trusted servant of the 
crown, possessing every facility for testing the truth of what 
he has deliberatelv recorded, and his main statements of fact 
are credible, notwithstanding a certain animus of personal 
hostilitv which the author is at no pains to conceal. 



The T}'aotdy of Wyoming. 13 

"CANADIAN ARCHIVES. 

M. G. 2. 

p. 46. 

From Niagara, a King's Fort on the Frontier of the 
Province of New York, we received the following : 

Joseph Brant, aUas Thavendanegea, now about 36 years 
old was born in the upper Mohawk Town of Canojoharee. 
Capt. Brant, when a voung lad, showed an extraordinary 
capacity and promptness in acquiring the reading and writing 
of his own language, under an Indian school master ap- 
pointed by the Honorable Society at his native place. The 
late Sir Wm. Johnson discovering that genius sent him to a 
good English school Avhere he soon made such proficiencv as 
to be able not only to read and write English surprisingly 
well but soon undertook to translate English into the Iroquois 
or Mohawk Language and so vice versa and that so well that 
the late Sir Wm. Johnson found him very serviceable in trans- 
lating Indian Speeches of moment to be made to the 6 Nations 
in Council and translate them in writing into the Iroquois Lan- 
guage in order to convey to the Indians the full meaning and 
substance of such Speeches wch Indian interpreters Avho in 
general are a dull illiterate kind of white people never were 
capable of doing, he became therefore a great acquisition to the 
Superintendent of the Iroquois and 6 Nations and was em- 
ployed by them accordingly and approved Jiimself a very use- 
ful and true person to government discovering at the same 
time a penetrating sound and good natural understanding 
wch he manifested in translatmg great part of the N. Testa- 
ment under the inspection of Mr. Stuart, the missionar}- 
who explained difficult passages to him, as well some sermons 
of diffi't subjects. At the Commencement of the unhappy 
Disputes between Great Britain and her Colonies he made 
shrewd and strict Enquirys into Reason of the Complaints of 
the Americans among whom he chiefly resided and from 
whom he heard nothing but forging of chains and intended 
Tyrann}' ^gsX. them. At the same time seeing no Apparent 
Alteration or putting such Complaints of Tyrann)" into Execu- 
tion the Refutation of it agitated his mind so far as to deter- 
mine on a voyage to Great Britain in order to try what he 



14 Captain Bra)it and the Old King. 

could tind out there of the matter plaiuly foreseeing- how 
uiuch the Indians in general were concerned in such a Quarrel, 
well knowing how ignorant they were as to the Disputes in 
Question. Accordingly in the Autumn 1775 after faithfidly 
serving that campaign and acquainting the Indians with the 
Reason of his Intended Journey he embarked at Quebec with 
the gentleman that was to be appointed at home in the room of 
Sr. Wm. Johnson. After his arrival he made himself acquainted 
with Gentlemen on both sides of the Question, soon finding 
out there was an op'pon in favour of the Americans in England ; 
and his penetrating genius soon saw into the Motives of that 
()p[)()sition and plainly discovering that there was no Reason of 
ol such complaints he was told of in America and all they and 
the Americans aimed at was to be sole Masters of the Conti- 
nent of America, an Event so destructive to the Liberty of the 
Indus and their Country, and being convinced of the Anxiety 
the Americans lor some years showed to dispossess the 
Indus of their Country had not the Crown interfered. During 
his stay in London he was by order of Government 
shown all the remarkable Places and Curiosities about 
London and vicinity, with which he was very much pleased 
in particular the Tower. Several Gentlemen of Distinction 
and Fortune took notice of him and used him very kindly 
and although some of them were friends of the Amer- 
icans and argued in their favour he listened to their Ar^ru- 
ments with Calmness and answered with Discretion. In the 
beginning of June 177(3 he embarked at Falmouth on board 
the Harriot packet in Company with the Superintendt — of 
the G Nations and sailed for N. York, where it was ex- 
pected he would soon be able to get to Albany and from 
thence among his countrymen the Nations. The packet on 
acct of the summer season standing to southward fell in with 
a rebel privateer of superior force near the Carolinas when 
soon a smart engagement ensued and ye rebels were confident 
of success. Joseph and his comi)anion, John of the lower Mo- 
hawk Town who attended him, having brass rifle guns, made 
them a present from my Lord Townsend, were so dexterous 
and good marksmen as to pick off those on board the rebel 
ship whom by their dress they took to be ofificers and after an 
engagement of two glasses the privateer thought proper to 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 15 

sheer off. The Harriot havg her rigging much damaged was 
disabled from chasing her and soon after got into N. York, being 
the latter end of July, and a little before Sr. Wm. Howe begun 
his operations upon the rebels on Long Island on wch occa- 
sion he had another opportunity of showmg his braver}- and 
activity wch Sr. Wm. acknowledged by having him always 
abt him, he was also particularly esteemed or taken notice of 
by the Earl of Percy for it. Finding that the campaign 
operations were not decisive enough to take Albany. And 
Brant determined penetrating the rebel country and woods to 
get among his Indn friends the 6 Nations, Sr. Wm. Howe 
and the Superintendant furnishing [him] with orders and In- 
structions to the officers of Gov't for that purpose and wch he 
with much fatigue and danger effected. The first Ind'ns he 
met with were the Colonies of the 6 Nations and their Depend- 
ants settled upon the Susquehanna River, whom he soon con- 
vinced with what he had heard and saw in England and the 
Arguments he made use of how much their own Country and 
Liberty was in danger from the Rebels, that they all unani- 
mously agreed with him in sentiment and determined to act 
agtst the Rebels who then secretly had sent Emissaries from 
N. England among them to gain them over to their interest 
but they were soon obliged to disappear for fear of being 
seized upon by the Indians. These proceedings of Mr. Brant 
soon takino- vent among the Rebels on the Mohawk River 
they began to collect a Body of men to oppose him and he 
saw himself under a necessity to call for more assistance 
among the 6 Nations and procure himself and part}^ ammuni- 
tion, wch was not nearer to be had than Niagara ; on his way 
thither he had the 6 Nation country to pass thro' where in 
every Town he was well received, called meetings and acquaint- 
ing them, with his Adventures and what he heard and saw in 
the King of England's Residence, wch was received with 
much greediness and approbation. He was faithfully promised 
to be supported ag'st the Rebels whenever he should call 
upon them; he then proceeded to Niagara and on his arrival 
producing his Orders and Instructions from Sr. Wm. Howe 
and Col. Guy Johnson, the Supt. of the 6 Nations. — But here 
Jealousy and Envy the Monsters of all Discord and Mischief 
showed their Heads, and the person who was left there in 



1 6 Captain Brant and tJic Old King. 

1775 by the Superintcndant to assist the Commaiid'g Officer at 
that post in Indn Matters was an Officer of equal Employ with 
Mr. Brant only of less Importance as to Indn Matters cS[ act- 
ing in a more servile Line, this person having with flattery & 
cunning (being bred and born in N. England) insinuated him- 
*self into the favour of Sr. Guy Carleton & procuring himself 
thereon to the office upon the Strength of that lavished 
immense sums without doing the least service to Govt since 
the begmning of the Rebellion but allowed the Rebels to 
establish themselves at Fort Stanwixin the middle of the G Na- 
tion Country. This j)erson then imagining to please Sir Gu}' 
in slighting cS: disregarding Sr. Wm. Howe & the Superin- 
ten't; besides apprehensive Mr. Brant should do anything that 
would expose his Inactivity & willing Backwardness received 
him very cooly and indifferently altho" under Superints im- 
mediate employ and appointment having nothing seperate 
from Sr. Guy even denyed him the quantity of Ammunition 
he demanded for opposing the Rebels that were assembling 
again and he was obliged to purchase what he could get 
among Traders out of his own pocket & returned very much 
discouraged from Niagara ; on his arrieval with his party he 
distributed what little Ammunition lie got wch was very tri- 
fling and soon after had an Acct. that a Body of 800 Rebels 
were assembled to pa}^ him a visit shortly. Upon wch he im- 
mediately sent Runners to call the 6 Nations to his assistance 
but [illegible] they were influenced from Niagara not to go. 
— Inds being so ignorant credulous a people that they may 
soon be dissuaded from keeping their promises with a plausi- 
ble story [illegible] of raising their Jealousy. Accordingly 
not a man came to his assistance and soon after the Rebels 
marched upon him with 300 men leaving the rest as Corps de 
Reserve at Cherry Valley they however finding Mr. Brant's 
party prepared and in readiness to receive them, they sent a 
Messenger to Mr. Brant that they wanted to speak with them 
as friends, he returned them his answer if they would come 
imarmed he would admit them having at the time not 200 men 
together when they came to parley and the Rebels came c^ 
entreated them to stand Neuter in the Ouarrel. That they 
would [illegible] their assistance & it would reasonablv be sup- 
posed the King of Great Britain would not want it, wch Mr. 



The Traocdy of Wyomiiig. 17 

Brant flatly refusing telling them he had sufficient reasons to 
oppose their proceedings on his own acct. upon wch one of the 
Rebel Colonels hinted that he would be compelled when Mr. 
Brant gave a Sign to his party they immediately put themselves 
in a posture of Defense tho' with very little Ammunition, upon 
wch the Rebels drew in their horns c^ were for peace sneak- 
ing off with themselves & if the Indus had been well supplied 
with Ammunition they might have given a good acct. of the 
whole party as well as all the Indus in general on ye conti- 
nent. 

Captain Brant soon after having information that Brig'r 
St. Leger was on his march upon an Expdn agst., Fort Stan- 
wix and soon expected at Oswego, he proceeded with his 
party consisting of upwards of 300 men to that place to join 
him where on his arrival he found Col. Claus sent from En- 
gland in Spring '77 to Superind the Indians to be employed in 
sd Expedition, this Gentlemn for upwards of twenty years 
acted as Assistant to the late Sr Wm Johnson in Indn Matters 
of which he had the care of ye Canada Indus till superseded 
in '75 and was well acquainted wth Mr. Brants Merit, he gave 
Mr. Brant and party all the Assistance in his power as to 
equiping them properly for the Exped wch done he [ Col. 
Claus] declared himself a Party ready for Service the 
Brigadier arriving 2 days after and was for pushing on as 
expeditiously as possible and none of the Indians that Col. 
Butler was to assemble having arrived tho' living near 200 
miles nearer than Mr, Brants party and Col. Claus finding they 
were chiefly to come the way the Expeditn was going he sent 
orders to the Indn Officers to halt at the Three Rivers 24 
miles on his way to Fort Stanwix. Col Butler arriving the 
day after at Oswego was surprised that the Indus were stopt 
from coming there to hold a Congress and receive their 
presents. Col. Claus gave him to understand that Indus on a 
march upon the Enemy could or did not expect formal meet- 
ings and councilling besides it would be attended with several 
days Delay and therefore ordered Mr Butler to proceed with 
the few Indus he brought from Niagara and meet the Indns at 
the Three Rivers and equip them and proceed to Fort Stanwix 
with all Expeditn at the same time Col. Claus with Mr Brant 
and i)arty proceeded with the Brigr leaving Mr Butler at the 



i8 Captain /ira)it a)id the Old Kins.- 

Three Rivers and invested l^'ort Stanwix without them. 3 
days after he came up with part of the Indus, when Mr Brant's 
sister Hving in the Uj)per Mohawk Town sent an Express to 
her brother with Intellis^ence that a body of about 900 Rebels 
were to be within 12 miles of Fort vStanwix that night to 
reinforce the Garrison, preparation then was made to oppose 
them. Sr. John Johnson offered his services to command a 
party of Light Infantry and what Indians were assembled and 
read)^ for service to reconnoitre and ambushe said party of 
Rebels. Accordingly when he was going to set off early in 
ye morning none but Mr. Brant's party were read}^ to join. 
Col. Butler and party were hesitating and deliberating whether 
there should not be a parley demanded of the Rebels and Let- 
ters wrote to their Leaders before the attack. Mr Brant 
observed that they being advancing in arms it was too late to 
offer any terms and that he was sure they would reject au}^ 
proposals of peace and Sir John Johnson pushing off Mr. Brant 
followed him, the Col. and party were unprepared for the 
March for a considerable time after when Shame and Emu- 
lation forced them to follow. An action commenced in less 
than an hour's time in whch Mr. Brant signalized himself 
highly by advancing on the Rebels Rear and harassing their 
Retreat and making great Slaughter chiefly with Spears and 
Lances. At the first onset the Senecas lost 17 men among whom 
were several Chiefs and Leaders wch enraged them greatly and 
altho' the Rebels were j)ut to Flight and left upwards of 500 
killed on the Spot yet that was not sufficient satisfaction and 
their principal Chief vSakoyenguaraghton a Decendant of a 
Brave and Loyal Family who were distinguished for their 
Loyalty and Attachment to the British Interest so early as the 
Reign of Queen Anne and were presented by ye Queen with 
a Coronet the only mark of distinction of that kind ever given 
to any of the 6 Nation Indus. This brave Seneca Chief and 
JVIr. Brant proposed to Sr John and Col. Clans to pursue the 
Blow and Sr. John mentioned it to Brigr St Leger, asking for 
a small Body of white men to join the Indus but the Brigr 
gave his reasons why he could not approve of it and there 
the affair dropt. Not long after upon false alarms the siege 
was raised and the Army retreated to Oswego in order to join 
Gen. Burgoyne by the way of Canada. Mr Brant proposed 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 19 

to Col. Claus to pass the Mohawk Villages secure their 
Women and Children and collect what Indns he could in his 
way to join Gen. Burgoyne by way of Saraghtoga wch Col. 
Claus agreed to. In which attempt however he ran a great 
Risque for one of his Compagnions Capt John of the Mohawks 
being a little in the rear of Mr Brant and passing Fort Stan- 
wix was surrounded by a Rebel party and being determined 
not to surrender had a whole charge of Ball and Buck shot 
fired into his left Breast and Arm and notwithstanding made 
a miraculous escape but is still in danger of losing his arm. 
Mr. Brant at ye same time effected his scheme of putting the 
Mohawk families on their guard and he proceeding with what 
men he could collect and Gen. Burgoyne's Army but within 
a short distance from the Camp had an Encounter wth ye 
Rebel party which he soon put to flight and arrived safe wth 
Gen. Burgoyne who received and treated him according to 
his Merit the general distinguished him from the rest of the 
Indians but Mr Brant finding that he could be of little Service 
there and affairs with that Arm}- being mismanaged he in 
order to guard against a Defection among the 6 Nations in 
case Matters should turn out unfavorable as he apprehended 
he returned among the 6 Nations procured encouraging Mes- 
sages from the Canada Inds that remained with Gen Burgoyne 
and accordingly attended a general meeting of the whole con- 
federacy at Onandago where he spared no pains to prepare 
and harangue them against the Shock of Gen. Burgoyne's Dis- 
aster of which they soon after had a most exaggerated acct 
from the Rebels the only channel they could get it then who 
at the same time with threats invited them to join their Cause 
with a large Belt of Wampun and a War Ax worked in it, 
however Mr. Brant coimteracting and using all the most 
urgent Arguments such as their loss of brave Chiefs and war- 
riors at Fort Stanwix and what Subjection and slavery they 
must be exposed to if the Rebels got the better as their 
Behavior towards them for many years past clearly jjointed 
out. In wch he was joined by his faithful Coajutor Sakayen- 
guarghton the Seneca Chief above mentioned and in Reality 
carried his point at last so far as to make the whole Confed- 
eracy firmly resolve to act most vigorously against the Rebels ; 
and Sayengwaraghto \_sic\ set the example by sending some of 



20 Captain Brant and the Old Kinp;. 

his men that very Autumn to harass the Frontiers of Penn- 
sylvania and Virginia and get Intelligence of Gen. Howe's 
Success abt Philadelphia vvch he procured wth a great deal of 
art wth all its favorable Circumstances to the great Satisfac- 
tion and Encouragement of the 6 Nations. The plan of Oper- 
ations for the ensuing campaign was then laid and Mr Brant 
determined to harass the Frontiers of the Mohawk River abt 
Cherry Valley [illegible] while Sakayenguaraghton took the 
Opportunity of this diversion to cut off the Settlement of 
Wayoming on the Susquehanna River. All these transactions 
were agreed and resolved upon while Mr. Butler was at Mont- 
real transacting Money and Mercantile Matters and no Indn 
Officer of Gov't present except Mr. Brant. The Rebel Com- 
missioners of Indn Affrs at Albany have publicly declared 
that if it had not been for Mr Brants Zeal and Cleverness they 
should surely have gained over the G Nations and their Allies 
to their Interest. After all plans being then fixed upon Mr 
Brant then passed thro' the Cayouga and Seneca Towns on 
his way to Niagara confirming the Indians in their Sentiments 
against the Rebels and soon after they followed him and 
declared their intentions to the Commanding Officer at 
Niagara at the same time delivering up the Rebel War Belt 
wch is a mark with Indians of their rejecting what was 
required of them by the Belt wth Contempt and Disdain. 
They also acquainted the Commanding Officers as the Kings 
Representative that they intended putting their Resolutions 
into Execution as early as possible in the Spring and hinted 
to effect it without an officer of Whites to join them. Accord- 
ingly as early as the season would admit of Mr Brant set the 
Example and marched off with his party to Aughgwago 
where he had others to join him. Sakayenguaraghton assem- 
bled his men at his Town Canadasege without calling upon 
any white person to join them. However the Reflections of 
the Officers at Niagara roused Col. Butler to march to Sakay- 
enwaraghton's Town wlio at the same Time reserved the 
Command of his men to himself. Mr Brant oj^ened the Cam- 
paign by attacking a party of Continental Troops joined by 
near 300 Militia who immediately were put to flight and the 
Continental Troops cut to pieces all but an Officer and four 
privates taken prisnrs and the Country laid waste distinguishing 



The Traoedy of WyoDiiiig. 21 

at the Settlement of Loyalists and not molesting a Woman 
or Child of the Rebels. This occasioned such an alarm that 
all the Inhabitants farther down the River fled towards 
Schenectady and the Rebels were obliged to send several 
Battalions to oppose Mr Brants Operations and the Harvest 
abt Schenectady, Cherry Valley and adjacent places being 
thereby neglected, prove very detrimental to the Supplies of 
the Rebel Army, that being the best Grain Country they 
depend upon and in short Mr Brant was the Dread and Terror 
of the whole Country. 

Sakayenguaraghton at the same time put his plan in Exe- 
cution making ever}^ preparation Disposition and Maneouvre 
with his Indus himself and when the Rebels of Wayoming 
came to attack him desired Col. Butler to keep his people 
separate from his for fear of Confusion and stood the whole 
Brunt of the Action himself, for there were but 2 white men 
killed, [illegible] And then destroyed the whole Settlement 
without hurting or molesting Woman or Child wch these two 
Chiefs to their honour be it said agreed upon before they 
[went into] Action in the Spring. 

Thus has Mr. Brant and this faithful Indn Chief distin- 
guished themselves most signally in the Defence of their own 
cause and Liberty as well as keeping sacred their Alliance 
entered into with the Crown of Great Britain for near a Cent- 
ury past : when their zealous Services at the same time have 
been [illegible] from the Public and the Merit given to others 
who had not the least pretension to it whch by the bye may 
prove detrimental to His Majys Indian Interest and discourage 
and Disgust these faithful brave men as well as ye whole 6 
Nation Confederacy, and those who deceived Government 
and the Public in such a manner can have no other view but 
to give Sanction to the Stigma intended to be laid to Govern- 
ment by its Enemies of employing Indian (3f1icers to engage 
and urge Indus to commit Cruelties and Murders in the Col- 
onies, when at the same time the Indus act in Defence of their 
own Cause and Liberty. 

[to be continued.] 

P. S. — Soon after the Receipt of the above Anecdotes an 
Acct. was received from Niagara of Mr Brant having marched 



22 Captain Braiif and the Old King. 

a body of upwards of 400 Whites and Indus to surprise and 
attack two Forts at Burnetsfield alias German Flatts about 
tlie middle of Sept. last but unluckily a Rebel Scout discov- 
ered them wch alarmed the Forts and kept the Rebels and 
Inhabitants snug and confined within their forts and could 
not be tempted to come out therefore he fell to Destroying 
their buildings Barns Stacks of Grain &c and driving off a 
great number of horses and horn cattle some intended for the 
Rebels at Fort Stanwix which cant but cause great Alarm and 
[illegible] to the Rebel Army it being the only Grain Country 
they have to depend upon. This Ravage he carried on upon 
the Rebel Inhabitants only on both sides of the Mohawk Rivr 
for near a 20 Miles Extent. 

[Endorsed] 

Niagara, Sept, 1778. Anecdotes of Capt. Jos. Brant. 

By Col. Dan'l Claus, Superintendent of Indian Affairs. '^ 



The student of this period will not fail to remark that the 
sensational narratives of the tieeing and panic-stricken bord- 
erers, given on the eve of the event, have been accepted as 
the undiluted truth by the majority of writers. It would be 
strange, indeed, if these recitals were not to a considerable 
degree imaginary or grossly exaggerated. 

Col. Claus' apparent motive was to expose the attempt 
of Col. Butler, — whom he cordially disliked, — to appropriate 
to himself the credit of achievements justly belonging to two 
native chieftains. Brant and Sayenqueraghta ; and, secondly, 
to show that the responsibity for any atrocities perpetrated at 
Wyoming, or on other fields, attached to the Indians alone, 
contending, as they were, for their own "cause and liberties" 
menaced by the colonists; a disingenuous proposition which, 
if seriously uttered at this day, would be received with a 
smile of derision. 



Note. — Col. IJenjamin Donance, before mentioned, vouchsafes us a passing 
glimpse of Sayenqueraghta in action. " He states that after the capitulation, the 
British regular troops marched into the lort by the northern or upper gateway, while 
Sayenqueraghta and his Indians entered at the northern portal. Col. D. recollects 
well the look and conduct of the Indian leader. His nostrils distended, and his burn- 
ing eyes flashing like a basilisk's, as he glanced quickly to the right and to the left, 
with true Indian jealousy and circumspection, lest some treachery or ambuscade might 
await them within the fort." Stone's Wyoming, p. 214. 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 23 

Col. Stone, in his Life of Brant, was the first prominent 
writer, it is believed, if indeed, he were not the last, to ques- 
tion the reliability of the narratives alluded to. He says (Vol. 
I — p. 336), "It does not appear that anything like a massacre 
followed the capitulation. Nor, in the events of the preced- 
ing day, is there good evidence of the perpetration of any 
specific acts of cruelty other than such as are usual in the 
general rout of a battle-field — save only the unexampled 
atrocities of the tories thirsting for revenge probably in re- 
gard to other questions than that of allegiance to the King." 
Steuben Jenkins, a descendant of one of the patriot Heroes, in 
his centennial address at the Wyoming monument, July 3d, 
1878, after depicting in the most lurid light the atrocities com- 
mitted on that spot a hundred years before, and fiercely 
denouncing the perpetrators, said "Truth and justice require 
that another fact, which has been omitted, should be told at 
this time. SO FAR AS KNOWN TO THE PEOPLE 
HERE NOT A WOMAN OR CHILD WAS SLAIN BY 
THE ENEMY IN THE VALLEY.." * * * 

"There was no shutting up of whole families in their houses 
and then fire set to them and the whole consumed together. 
No slaughter of whole families, men, women and children, in 
that or any other way."* 

Butler, it is known, indignantly denied that any were slain 
save actual combatants with arms in their hands and in the act 
of using them against his forcej^ Lord Germain extolled the 
humanity displayed by the invaders. 

When we take into consideration the circumstance, men- 
tioned by Bancroft, that the Senecas had been wrought up to 
a pitch of frenzied exasperation by the slaughter of so many 
of their braves and leaders at the battle of Oriskany, and 
when we consider the inveterate customs and military policy 
of the Iroquois, their moderation at Wyoming was some- 
thing remarkable. 

All the wars waged between the native tribes, on this con- 
tinent, involved the extirpation of one or the other of the com- 
batants. Their warlike tactics was one of surprises, which the 



* Wilkesbarre, Pa., 1878. 



24 Captain Bra)it and the Old King. 

vast and pathless woods suggested and encouraged, and the 
red meiiATule possessed no defensive fortifications and 
none of the tremendous military enginery with which the 
more ingenious whites sweep off their enemies. The art of 
civilized warfare, which means the mangling and murdering 
your foes politely and humanely, in vast numbers, and at a 
comfortable distance, these barbaric warriors had never 
acquired. 

The envenomed hate of their tor}' allies showed no relent- 
ing, but it may be said of the Senecas that the angel pity 
touched those wild hearts at Wyoming. 

This view is not, however, the popular one. The vulgar 
appetite must "sup on horrors;" as though the unvarnished 
details of any active campaign, where men, created in the 
image of God, maim and butcher each other, are not suffi- 
ciently revolting. 

A few particulars concerning the later life of the Old 
King and my task is finished. When General Sullivan's army 
devastated the Seneca country, the King with his tribe was 
compelled to abandon his beloved seat on the shores of Lake 
Seneca and seek safety under the protecting guns of Fort 
Niagara. Subsequently, and at the end of the war, he re- 
tired with a portion of his people to the region drained by 
Buffalo creek and its tributary streams. Another portion of 
the nation, however, erected their bark cabins in the valley of 
the Genesee, their ancient abode, which in their own musical 
tongue they had christened The Beautiful, and there rekindled 
their immemorial council fire. Only for a little time were they 
permitted to linger there ; "The foot-that-knows-no-rest" was 
on their track. The Old King's last abode w\as on the banks 
of the stream named in his honor, Smoke's Creek. There for 
a few years he dispensed a true Indian hospitality which 
awakens wonder even now. Among the faces lighted up by 
the glow of his hearth, and in strange juxtaposition with the 
tawny, dark-haired daughters of the wood who crouched by 
their side, might have been discerned the fairer and more 
delicate features of the captive Gilbert children, his adopted 
son and daughter, and the benignant countenance of the mis- 
sionary Kirkland. Here within a few miles from where we 
sit to-night, and at about the close of the last century, the 



The Tragedy of Wyoming. 25 

King of the Senecas died and was buried. His grave is 
unmarked and the exact spot where his bones lie is unknown 
even to his tribe and family. His successor, the bearer of the 
sacred brand, was the Young King, well and favorably known 
to our older citizens. This chieftain was a gallant warrior; he 
fought on the side of the United States in the second war for 
independence; was seriously wounded in one of the engage- 
ments on this frontier, and received a pension from our gov- 
ernment. Later in life he was converted to the Christian 
faith, which he adorned and illustrated to the day of his 
death, some forty-five years ago. 

The Young King, so far as is known, was the last Seneca 
invested with the dignity and title of Sayenquerahta. The 
vision of the eagle-plumed warrior flying along the forest 
trail, and bearing aloft the burning brand with its banner of 
smoke, will be seen no more. The modern Senecas have cast 
off their ancient form of government and fashioned another 
after the pattern of the race they have so much reason to fear 
and hate. The Long House, — as the confederated tribes 
figuratively styled their governmental structure, — under- 
mined and shattered by Sullivan's army, — has since fallen and 
crumbled to dust. The tamed descendants of the fierce and 
haughty Senecas dwell mournfully on the days when their 
"King" held his court at Kanadesaga Castle and was the 
leader and pride of the triumphant Iroquois. 

The name Sayenqueraghta, — literally rendered, Tlie- 
Smoke-has-disappeared, — was prophetic of the final quenching 
of that council fire, which in the barbaric age, and in the early 
dawn of civilization on our shores, was the dread of a continent. 



